Local Democracy Reporter, Daniel Mumby, believes Somerset has many challenging mountains to climb as a county, whatever changes are made to its local government (Image: Getty/Reach Plc)

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Somerset's four district councils are looking at plans to work together more closely, but Somerset County Council says it plans to make the case for a single council across Somerset.

David Fothergill, leader of the current county council, argues having just one council for the whole of Somerset could save millions of pounds - allowing more spending on things like social care.

But his critics argue that the county council has managed its money badly, so shouldn't be given more control - and that there are advantages to having a different council representing places miles apart, such as Yeovil and Bridgwater.

Up to 200 local councillors could be removed, and workers could lose jobs, if a single council replaces the current five.

Daniel Mumby is a Local Democracy Reporter who regularly attends meetings and writes about local issues across Somerset.

Below is his take on the proposals to transform councils, and what could happen next.

Somerset County Council in Taunton (Image: Somerset Live)

'Doing nothing is not an option'

We might have expected this week's announcement about the future of Somerset's local government to be a little more proactive.

After nearly two years of talking about it, Somerset's councils find themselves at an impasse about how the county should be run in the future.

Seven options have been presented, with various combinations of how the existing five councils may be carved up - with or without their two closest neighbours to the north.

All the leaders can agree on is that doing nothing is not an option - and that's undoubtedly true.

But whoever runs the county council or four district councils - whoever ends up in charge of any new authority - the challenges will remain the same.

Tough challenges ahead no matter what

Somerset has a growing population - but one in which the number of elderly is rapidly outstripping the proportion of people who are of working age.

Its elderly are living longer (which is great) but the money to pay for their care is not keeping up with demand - anyone who saw the two-part Panorama documentary last year cannot fail to see that.

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At the other end of the scale, Somerset's young people are faced with a stark choice: either stay and put up with inadequate public transport, high rents and low-paid jobs, or leave to find a better life elsewhere - if you can afford to.

Mental health is a huge challenge - there are high levels of self-harm, large numbers of families which need support, and both poverty and deprivation are on the rise.

In the middle of all this, the working population is being stymied by low wages, lack of skilled jobs, lack of affordable homes and poor digital connectivity - the words 'Connecting Devon and Somerset' are more likely than ever to be met with derision and howls about how much it has cost.

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Why the Somerset councils disagree on best way forward

The question is: can a unitary help to fix any of this? At this point, your guess is as good as mine.

David Fothergill said in May 2019 that moving to a single council would generate "eye-watering" annual savings - and recently said it would allow him to lobby central government as one voice for more funding.

More money is going to be needed for social care, health and education one way or the other - but it's easy to understand why the four districts would not be immediately willing to jump into bed with the county council under a new banner.

While County Hall has been struggling to stay afloat financially, as demand for children's and adult services keeps on growing, the districts have built up relatively healthy reserves and diversified their income through commercial investments.

The Lib Dems may be scaremongering when they say Mr Fothergill would use a unitary as a means to raid these reserves to plug his authority's budget gap. But the districts haven't had it all rosy.

Transformation programmes in South Somerset, and Somerset West and Taunton, may prove effective in the long run - it makes total sense to be as efficient as possible and to make the best use of new technologies.

But the process has led to large number of experienced, competent staff being lost - and large amounts of temporary (and expensive) agency staff being employed in their place while the new system of working is implemented.

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People need a say on massive upheaval

In light of how this has gone, there is no appetite at either council for further massive upheaval and more job losses - only gradual reform which will not affect the quality of services being provided, or impact on staff morale.

The districts will be pushing forward plans for closer integration over the coming months, with the first changes being rolled out in the summer - the same time as County Hall will be developing its unitary business case.

Whichever move comes first, the big issue above all the others is this: how can the views and interests of Somerset's people be best represented?

Some of have complained the two-tier system is needlessly bureaucratic, pointing to savings over the border in Dorset and Wiltshire.

Others feel a centralised body operating out of Taunton cannot hope to accurately represent the diverse interests and challenges experienced in Chard, Cheddar, Frome and Porlock.

Whatever happens next, the county council will still be holding elections in May 2021 - which will be a test for both Mr Fothergill's record over the last four years, and for his unitary ambitions.

If his Conservatives are returned - or even increase their majority on the back of his party's performance in Westminster - Mr Fothergill will feel he has a mandate to bring the districts back into the fold and push forward.

If the Lib Dems wrestle back power, or we end up with no overall control, the districts will see that as a vindication of their approach.

Both sides have until May of next year to make their case, both on paper and by making practical changes which improve the lives of Somerset's people.

The task is unenviable, arduous and incredibly complicated - but we can all agree that doing nothing is not an option.